


French Kiss

by CHAEXNNIE



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), Chungha (Musician), Sunmi (Korea Musician)
Genre: 's singing, F/F, F/M, Lisa is obvious, Multi, Polyamory, Sunmi likes girls, chaeyoung is cocky, chungha likes sunmi, jennie is confused, jennie loves jisoo, jisoo is oblivious, jk but jennie hates jisoo, teacher sunmi, yep chungha likes a teacher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-07 18:48:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20980661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CHAEXNNIE/pseuds/CHAEXNNIE
Summary: Kim Jisoo, a junior at SKI college, never expected to find herself in her current situation. What started with a drunken confession about the school's sweetheart, Park Chaeyoung, turned into a romance between two, then three, then four girls. But the question was, did they all truly love one another- or were they pretending just to be with the one that truly owned their heart?





	1. I'M NOT GAY

It was that time of year at SKI: the time to join clubs. Like clockwork, every first Wednesday of the second term, people would rush to booths and teachers to sign up for clubs or to try out for the sports teams. Lisa Manoban, like most freshmen girls at her college, had her heart set on being a cheerleader.

She'd been waiting since her first day of college to get the chance to try out for the squad, going as far as to practice three times a week to keep her body in shape for the time the try outs finally came around. And now they were here? Lisa couldn't be more excited, "I'm thinking of trying out for the cheer squad, Jisoo." She mentioned one lunchtime in the cafeteria as the two talked over the barely-edible pizza and fries (oh how Lisa couldn't wait til she was a junior like her best friend so she could go off campus for lunch).

"Yes, I know. That's like the third time you've told me this week and it's only Tuesday." Jisoo laughed and stabbed a few fries on her fork, bringing them to eye level and scrutinizing them, "Ugh- I can't eat these. Why can't you just hurry up and become a junior so we can go off campus together?"

Lisa laughed at Jisoo's whining but pushed her tray away in agreement, noticing that her fries were practically incinerated just like her friend's, "That's not how ageing works, Jisoo. I can't just wake up twenty, one morning. Besides, I'd rather be young and cool- not old like you."

Scoffing, Jisoo picked up one of her charred chips and threw it at Lisa's head, "Didn't anyone teach you to respect your elders? And with the way you speak you may as well be older than me." She kicked her legs out under the table, crossing her arms in a sassy yet playful manner.

"Jeez, Jisoo." Lisa rubbed her head as if she was hurt, "With an arm like that you could try out for the softball team."

"I'm not gay." Jisoo snapped back quickly, knowing exactly what Lisa had been implying with her not-so-subtle wink at the end and the choice of sport that was much too coincidental- well, given Lisa's recent allegations of Jisoo being gay.

"Maybe I'd believe that if you didn't start spouting shit about Park Chaeyoung being 'too hot to handle' one night, but you did that so I don't." She threw a look at the mentioned girl sat not far from Lisa and Jisoo themselves. The Thai girl tried (and failed) to not roll her eyes when she saw Chaeyoung was practically surrounded by guys, and even some girls, that were probably hitting on her.

Jisoo's eyes widened at Lisa's words and she leaned over the table, throwing her hand over Lisa's mouth, "Shut up! She could hear you." She glanced wearily over her shoulder, double-checking Chaeyoung hadn't heard one of the incredibly false words that had come out of her best friend's mouth. When she was satisfied Chaeyoung had been too busy with her groupies to hear, Jisoo redirected a killer look back to Lisa, "And I was drunk when I said that, Lisa."

"Doesn't make it untrue. Whatever, you were right, anyway; she's hot. Like, if I was a dude, I'd totally be DTF, y'know?" Jisoo's mouth parted to let out a pathetic attempt to disagree but Lisa just waved her hand around, shutting her up, "Yeah, of course you know. She gives you a total lady boner, Jichu. It's obvious."

"Who gives Jisoo a lady boner?"

"Ah, Chungha, glad to see you've finally joined us." Lisa scooted along the bench, moving her long legs to the side so their other friend, Kim Chungha, could join them. Chungha was a sophomore that she and Jisoo knew because their fathers all worked at the same restaurant, and the three girls had all been friends for at least ten years.

Chungha just rolled her eyes and ignored Lisa's offer of a seat, earning a, "How rude," from said girl. Instead she took her place next to Jisoo, gently setting her tray schoolbag on the table infront of her.

"No thanks. Don't feel like looking like a midget sat next to you, Lisa." Chungha pulled a bento box out from her bag before throwing the latter on the floor beneath her and opening her lunch, "Back to the more important matter- who's giving Jisoo a lady boner and why don't I know about it?"

"Park Chaeyoung."

"Oh yeah, I remember you told me she called her 'too hot to handle' once. Truthfully, I agree. Does that make me gay? No- but for Chaeyoung I would turn." Chungha grabbed her chopsticks and 'gracefully' punctuated her sentence by stuffing a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Bi erasure, much?" Lisa eyed the girl's lunch with drool leaking from her mouth, "Is that sushi?"

Jisoo just scoffed, "Really, Lisa, you told her about it? Who else did you tell?" She threw another not-so-discreet glance at Chaeyoung from over her shoulder, just to double-check she was still occupied, before returning her attention to Lisa.

"Honestly, I'm hurt you think I'd tell anyone else. Not shocked, because if I were you I wouldn't trust me either, but hurt. But no, I didn't tell anyone else." She too punctuated her sentence by shoving a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Who told you that you could steal my sushi?" Chungha shuffled closer to Jisoo," And why don't you two losers bring packed lunches instead of wasting money at school: your dads are literally chefs- the food would be so much better." Sometimes, Chungha wondered how her friends could be smart enough to get into SKI yet so dumb at the same time.

The Thai just shrugged before turning her body to Chungha. She rested her elbow on the table and leaned her head on her upright fist, "Hey, Chungha. Did I tell you I was thinking about auditioning for the cheerleading team?"

"Yes, you did. That's like the sixth time this week you've told me."

Jisoo's two youngers continued to squabble about whether it was the sixth or fourth time that Lisa had told Chungha she was trying out as Jisoo sighed. She knew they were both wrong about that (it was actually the seventh time Lisa had said it to the other girl), but maybe they were onto something with their other conversation.

Not that she'd ever tell them that, of course.


	2. YOU'RE GAY

"Hey, Jisoo."

Jisoo rolled her eyes when she heard Chungha's voice from behind her, knowing the girl was probably going to say something incredibly stupid. Her suspicions were confirmed when she spared a glance at the girl, spotting Lisa skulking next to her, and she let out a sight, "What do Dumb and Dumber want with me?" She retorted sarcastically, steering past other students on the way to her music lesson.

"You're dumber." She heard Lisa snap back to Chungha, and Jisoo just wondered how her friends could be smart enough to get into SKI but still act like toddlers sometimes. The humour of it all certainly wasn't lost upon her.

Jisoo turned around to fully face them, stopping dead in her tracks, "Just tell me what you guys want so I can hurry up and go to music. I'm already late." She checked her watch once more, finding that she still had ten minutes to get to music before she would be late. Oh well. What they don't know can't hurt them, She thought.

Chungha nodded and snapped her wrist, making a clicking sound that amazed Lisa no matter how many times the older girl did it, "Right! I forgot you still go to that lame ass music class; we all know the only reason you go is so you can stare at Chaeyoung. Anyways, speaking of your crush, are you going to her party?"

"Of course she's going: she has a crush on her."

"Okay, first of all, I go to music because I like to sing and play instruments- not because I want to stare at Chaeyoung. And secondly, I don't have a crush on Park Chaeyoung!" Jisoo blushed when she noticed Park Sooyoung, one of Chaeyoung's best friends, give her a sidewards glance and laugh, "And now look! Sooyoung's probably gonna tell her that I do- and it's your guys' faults."

Lisa looked down dejectedly at the floor, scuffing her feet on a slightly ajar tile, "Sorry, Jisoo." She mumbled, her blonde bangs hanging and unable to make eye contact with the older girl out of pure embarrassment, "It was just a joke. We can tell her that, if you want."

Sighing, Jisoo shook her head and placed a hand on Lisa's hair, ruffling it playfully, "It's okay, Lis, that'll probably just make it worse- thanks though. And about the party: I didn't even know she was having one. When is it?" Jisoo smiled when Lisa immediately perked up at the words of reassurance, happy the girl was going to go back to being her normal self.

"This Friday. Me and Lisa are thinking of going, wanna come with?" Chungha linked her arm with Jisoo's and did the same with Lisa using her other arm, resuming the walk to Jisoo's music class, "I can pick you up if getting a ride is an issue. You'll have to be the designated driver, though- I plan on getting wasted and Lisa doesn't have her license yet."

Jisoo pondered it for a moment before responding, "Yeah, I think I can come. I have to ask my dad first, though." She dragged Chungha the opposite way when she took a wrong turn for the music classroom, laughing when the younger girls almost fell over, "Meet me outside the music room in an hour?" She asked when they finally reached the class, watching as the teacher herded her students into the room.

"As always."

The older girl smiled and waved goodbye to her friends, slinking into the class just slowly enough to hear Lisa say, "Now can you teach me how you do that snapping thing with your wrist?" Jisoo chuckled at the Thai girl's words as she took her regular seat on the back table, waiting for everyone else to sit down.

One by one her tablemates filed in and took their seats. First was Joohyun, the girl that sat opposite of Jisoo, and also someone that she considered a good friend. She was a couple years older, having taken a much longer course than most people did, but Jisoo liked that about her: she was like a motherly figure to the girl. Next to sit down was Moonbyul, one of Jisoo's least favourite people. She was quite a few years older than Jisoo, much like Joohyun, but Moonbyul's reason was because she had held back- not because she had a thirst for knowledge (infact, rumours even said that she was sleeping with one of the other music teachers: Miss Kim). However, as much as Jisoo disliked the girl, she had to admit she was an amazing rapper. Finally, the last person to sit down was Sana. The girl was the same age as Chungha, but according to Jisoo's friend she rarely ever showed up for school. And when she did make an appearance, she always had her hood up to hide her black-eyes and unhealthily pale skin.

Jisoo felt for the girl, she really did, but no matter how much help and friendship she offered, Sana refused to say so much as a word to her. Infact, the only time Jisoo had ever heard Sana's voice was when she was singing: the girl had a real talent for it.

As the bell rung, the teacher shut the door, signalling no more students to enter, "Morning, class." Miss Lee beamed, pulling out a chair at the table Park Chaeyoung happened to be sat on- wait, why do you care about Chaeyoung? Jisoo chastised herself in her mind, shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts.

"Morning, Sunmi." One of the reasons Jisoo adored music class was because of their teacher: Lee Sunmi. She was the best teacher the girl had ever had, always trying to help and giving the students ways to improve (it also helped that she was easy on the eyes). Jisoo had tried to convince her friends to sign up for music club, but Chungha was adamant on dance and Lisa had her heart set on cheer. Today was the third week of music club, second week of dance and the auditions for cheer- Jisoo had made sure to wish Lisa good luck earlier in the morning.

Sunmi smiled at the class' eager response, clicking the arrow on her keyboard and going to the next slide of her powerpoint. Practically every student groaned when a picture of a piano appeared on the screen, immediately knowing what the class would be based around, "Alright, guys. Settle down. As you can tell, today we're going to be working on the piano. I know some of you can already play, so you guys can go ahead and get started, but to the ones that can't I want you to partner up and help eachother figure things out. If you get stuck either call me or someone that can play over to help. We'll have ten minutes random playing, trying to organize our own songs or just having fun, and then we'll get serious."

The class nodded and got started, Jisoo and Joohyun immediately locking eyes and making a silent agreement to be partners. The group of students in the music club was small (only twelve, including Jisoo), so the school had enough sound-proof music rooms and enough pianos to go round. Jisoo quickly got dibs on one of the newer pianos in a different room, waiting for Joohyun to return with the headphones and the splitter, but suddenly she wished she hadn't.

The door pushed open and Chaeyoung and Wendy (another one of Chae's close friends) walked in, the older girl laughing at something the older one had said, and the two went to two seperate pianos. So you can play the piano too, huh? Is there anything you can't do? Jisoo cleared her head of the thoughts when Joohyun returned to the room, holding a pair of headphones and a splitter. For a second, Jisoo could swear she saw the older girl lock eyes with Wendy in a charged stare-down, but the moment was gone as soon as it was there, "I got the stuff." Joohyun rasped out, stating the obvious as she plugged everything in.

"Thanks."

For the next ten minutes or so, the two girls practiced on the piano. It was easier than Jisoo had first thought, but she could see Joohyun was struggling to stretch her fingers and get the right keys (probably because of how small her hands were). A knock on the door interrupted the girl's mid randomly-composed song as Sunmi peeked her head in the room, "How we doing in here, girls?" 

Jisoo tugged her headphones off and gave the teacher a warm smile, "Good." Was all she needed to say, the other three girls in the room giving nods of agreement, too enthralled in the music to stop and speak to the teacher, "Do we have to start practicing now?"

"Yeah, it's about that time. If you don't know any songs I can get you a sheet. We have most of the songs kids your age listen to- just name one and I'll grab it."

"I think I'll just stick to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, thanks Sunmi." Jisoo laughed at her own words, only half joking. But the smile dropped when she noticed the feeling of more than just Sunmi's pair of eyes burning into her- and it definitely wasn't coming from Joohyun.

The music teacher just winked, "Suit yourself. You should probably add some vocals, though, if you want to get the credit from this club. Actually... how about you duet it with Joohyun?" It was a question, but Sunmi slipped out of sight before either girl could argue or even respond.

"Guess we're duetting." Jisoo mumbled, slipping her headphones back in and digging into her memory to try and remember the lyrics of Twinkle Twinkle (which was surprisingly harder than she thought), "You know the chords, right?"

"I might be bad at the piano but I'm not that bad."

Jisoo chuckled and got back to murmuring the lyrics, piecing together broken memories of her father singing the song to her for countless nights on end, keeping the nightmares that had been an endless occurrence (ever since that day) at bay, "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are..." 

The next half an hour was a back and forth of Jisoo repeating the same two dozen lines to herself and warming up her vocals with a few basic exercises as Joohyun played the same chords on a seemingly permanent loop, until Sunmi knocked on the door once again, "Time for performances, girls. We'll be using the piano in the main room so leave everything here for now."

Joohyun and Jisoo groaned, knowing they were less than prepared, whereas Chaeyoung and Wendy just smiled in excitement, quickly shuffling out of the room and into the main music classroom, "I guess we should join them." Jisoo sighed, and grabbed Joohyun by the hand, all but dragging her into the room where the other two girls had gone.

When they did, they found Moonbyul and Sana both sat down in front of the piano, apparently having decided that they were going to do a duo aswell. Sunmi stood at the front of the class, watching as students took their seats and waited patiently for the performances to begin, "Alright, class. We're going to spend the next twenty minutes doing our performances. First up is Moonbyul and Sana, performing 'Shut Up and Dance'. Next is Jungkook, performing his own song 'Euphoria', followed by Kim Lip playing 'Lover'. After that is Wendy singing and playing her own song 'Written In The Stars', then Chaeyoung performing 'Can't help falling in love'. Finally, until next week, Joohyun and Jisoo are performing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'."

The class snickered quietly at the last song choice but nodded anyway, waiting for Moonbyul and Sana to start playing. When they did, all was silent, everyone too amazed to say even a word. It turned out that not only did Moonbyul have a talent for rapping, but she also had an affinity for singing- and Sana was an amazing pianist. By the end of the song, the majority of the class was wolf-whistling and applauding the performance. Hell, even Sunmi, an accomplished musician that could play instruments ranging from the bass guitar to the trumpet, seemed impressed by their talent, "Amazing." She spoke simply, watching as the girls returned to their seats, Moonbyul with her usual smirk and Sana with what seemed to be a hint of a smile, "Alright, come on up, Jungkook."

The next song didn't really interest Jisoo, although it was apparent that Jungkook had a real knack at writing lyrics and songs. Nevertheless, she clapped politely when it was all over, fighting off the urge to yawn. Kim Lip's song put her in a similar situation, finding it to be a bit slow for her liking (although Jisoo wasn't one to talk- she was going to be singing Twinkle Twinkle).

When Wendy's turn rolled around, Jisoo sat up straight in her seat, knowing that the girl had a real talent when it came to composing and playing instruments. And by the time the song was over, Jisoo knew that she had been right. The song was the perfect tempo for her liking, and Wendy's voice was beautiful. She could only wonder what Park Chaeyoung had in stall for them all.

Jisoo watched eagerly as the younger girl climbed to her feet, her interest piqued by the song choice and the fact it would be the first time she ever heard the strawberry-haired girl's voice. Park Chaeyoung was two years younger, meaning she was in Lisa's classes and not Jisoo's, so the two had never shared so much as an interaction other than an awkward glance in music class or an accidental bump in the hallways. According to her friend from Thailand, Chaeyoung had a heavenly voice- and that was just when she was speaking (although Jisoo definitely thought Lisa was exaggerating).

Chaeyoung cleared her throat as she took a seat infront of the large piano, allowing her hands to stroke the black polished wood for a moment, getting to know the instrument in front of her. Jisoo marvelled at the sight of someone showing the beautiful instrument the respect it deserved, knowing it definitely didn't get that from many of the other music students. Gliding her hands over the keys, Chaeyoung found the right note before pressing lightly.

A ding bounced from wall to wall, echoing in Jisoo's mind at how good the single note had sounded being generated from a single touch- courtesy of the Park girl. Chaeyoung spared a glance at Sunmi, receiving a nod of permission for her to play, before beginning to run her fingers up and down the length of the keys. Her touches were soft, as if she were caressing the instrument rather than playing it, and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall captive to the music rather than let the music fall captive to her. Her body was manipulated like a rag doll to the tune of the melody, swaying side to side as she prepared to begin singing, and her head gently rolled from shoulder to shoulder.

She opened her mouth to begin-

"Sorry to interrupt, ma'am." The door to the music room opened and Chungha emerged from the corridor, peeking her head into the classroom, interrupting Jisoo just as she was about to solve whether Lisa was truly lying about Chaeyoung's voice or not, "Can I have Kim Jisoo?"

Sunmi gave Chungha an unimpressed look, her eyes raking up and down the younger girl's form as the other girl gave her the same treatment. The music teacher folded her arms across her chest and under her bust, causing Chungha's eyes to flicker to that very area before returning to eye contact, a ferocious blush spreading across her face at the realisation she'd been caught (although it didn't seem like Sunmi minded that much), "And why do you need to take her?"Her tone was flat with a hint of mischief lining it. 

The student bit her lip anxiously, trying her hardest to keep the eye contact and not run away with her tail between her legs, "Our friend's been injured and she needs Jisoo to drive her to the hospital so she can get it checked out."

Nodding, Sunmi gave Jisoo a look that said 'hurry up and go help your friend' before turning back to Chungha, her eyes narrowed and her tongue peeking out to wet her lips, "Next time knock before interrupting my class, sweetheart." The last word gained no reaction from the class, as Sunmi often called them names of affection, but the tone in which it was said to Chungha caused her to flinch and visibly gulp.

"Yes, miss. Thank you." Chungha practically pushed Jisoo out the room, bowing once more to the class, then Chaeyoung, then at a ninety degree angle to Sunmi, before shutting the door and taking Jisoo's arm in her own and beginning to walk at a leisurely pace to the PE block.

"What's going on, Chungha? Is Lisa okay?"

"Pft." Chungha scoffed and laughed, waving an arm nonchalantly, "Lisa's perfectly fine. She just needed an excuse for us all to leave early so we can go and celebrate in a bar or something. I got told by her to come get you from music."

Jisoo blinked once- then twice, before bursting out laughing, "Jesus, Chungha. I was worried for a second. So, I take it she got into the cheer team, anyway?" The two continued walking, this time speeding up so they could meet Lisa outside the gymnasium.

"Yep. The coach said she reckons Lisa could make captain. She said that Lisa has a future in cheer, or some bull like that, so they basically told her on the spot that she was in- even though it was meant to be announced on Friday's assembly."

Nodding, Jisoo thought back to the way Chungha had came and collected her, "So?" She asked blankly, the question that wasn't really a question hanging heavily in the air, practically suffocating Chungha with confusion and uncertainty.

"'So?' what?" Chungha quirked an eyebrow as the two left the main school building, heading over to a small one that was located just in front of the track, the sandpit and other things used for sporting. SKI was a well known school for both academics and sporting, hosting a massive 'olympics' in their own personal stadium every Summer. Jisoo had been lucky enough to get a scholarship based off of her musical talent and Chungha came from an incredibly wealthy family. Lisa, on the other hand, was working several different jobs to pay for her tuition and praying that next year they'd recognise her sporting talents and offer her the scholarship she deserved. That was the main reason she'd been so eager to join the cheer team: to show her physical prowess and boost her chances.

"So what was that little thing between you and Sunmi? I saw you checking her out, and maybe I'm just being delusional here but I think she was doing the same to you too, Chungha." Jisoo pushed open the door to the PE block, immediately entering the corridor and spotting Lisa stood outside the changing rooms, a duffle bag in hand and a beaming smile on her face as she talked to (who Jisoo assumed to be) the cheer coach.

The sophomore scoffed dramatically at Jisoo's observation, her eyes flickering to the floor for a second before returning back to focus on Lisa, "As if, Jisoo. Yeah, I checked her out. Who wouldn't? She's hot. But there's no way she looked at me too. She's a teacher, for God's sake!"

"And? This is college, if you hadn't noticed. Student teacher relationships aren't all that taboo here. She's not even teaching your course. If you like her, go for it. I'm sure she'd be more than eager." Jisoo waved to Lisa when the girl finally spotted them, yet she kept the conversation based on Chungha and Sunmi, just wanting the best for her.

"I'm not gay, Jisoo."

"Oh really? Because from what I've seen, I think you are." Watching as Lisa waved bye to the coach and begun to meet them halfway, the duo stopped walking and turned to face one another, the conversation falling somewhere in the grey area of serious and light-hearted. Jisoo wasn't one to preach about sexuality when she herself had been in Chungha's exact postition the other day at lunch, and she suddenly felt like a massive hypocrite.

Chungha rolled her eyes and folded her arms, "I'll talk to Sunmi if you admit you like Park Chaeyoung."

"I-"

"Hey guys!" Lisa grinned, interrupting the conversation that had definitely fallen into the serious area, "Ready to go?" The two girls took in their Thai friend's slightly dishevelled appearance. A few stray hairs from her bangs were stuck to the sweat on her forehead, her clothes thrown on eagerly in an obvious attempt to be first changed and out to meet Chungha and Jisoo. The laces on one of her converses was sloppily tied, whilst the other shoe wsan't tied at tall.

The girls ignored this, however, and Jisoo threw her arm around Lisa's neck, trying not to grimace at the feeling of the girl's sweat against her own bare skin, "Yeah. I take it that try outs went well?"

Beaming, Lisa nodded hyperly and continued to walk with a spring in her step, her doe-eyes wide with adrenaline and her breathing laboured from almost an hour of tireless working and attempting to impress the coach, "Definitely! Mr Lee practically begged me to be on the team then and there!"

"Yuck." Chungha pulled a face, standing on the opposite side of Lisa than Jisoo, "I've heard bad things about that 'Mr Lee' guy, Lisa. Be careful around him; I don't want you getting hurt." She held the door open for her two friends.

Jisoo spared Chungha a sheepish look and a small thank you as Lisa was to busy yattering away about how, "Mr Lee isn't a bad guy. He let's us call him by his first name- just like your teacher does, Jisoo. Are you telling me Sunmi is some kind of creep just because she's nice?"

"No, that's not it. But I've heard from some of the girls that he used to peek on them sometimes when they were getting changed. And you're nineteen, Lisa: you're underrage! Just be careful, is all we're saying."

"Seungri isn't like that! And besides, I'll be twenty in a couple months."

Raising her hands in mock surrender, Jisoo decided to end the conversation there as the girls signed out of campus (with the same reason they'd told Sunmi), and thanks to Lisa's amazing acting they'd managed to get away with it. The walk to Jisoo's car was tense, the eldest girl not saying anything to either Chungha or Lisa because of the disagreements they'd had, "Shotgun!" Lisa broke the silence by calling, running to the passenger front seat.

Jisoo chuckled at her behaviour, reminding her faintly of a childhood memory when she had done the exact same thing to her older brother. She distinctly remembered Seok-Jin throwing a massive tantrum, his nine year old boyish mind unable to cope with being second at anything, and their father had gone and got their favourite icecream just to cheer Jisoo and Jin up. She shook her head as she unlocked her old and battered Honda that her father had passed down to her, Seok-Jin getting the money to kickstart his business, instead, "Where to?" Jisoo asked as the three sat down, waiting for the other two passengers to buckle up (she was a safety freak- she had been for almost as long as she could, as she wanted, to remember).

"A bar?" Chungha suggested, perking up at the question and peeking her head between the gap of the driver's seat and front passenger's.

Lisa waved off the idea, "Nah." She drummed her fingers against the car desktop and pondered the question for a moment, leaning her head against the window, "Any ideas, Jichu?" The use of the nickname Lisa had been calling her since Jisoo was a meagre eight years old and Lisa was but six brought a smile to her face.

However, Jisoo could only shake her head no.

"Actually, I think my dad has some expensive shit in his cabinet. Not sure how good it tastes, but it probably cost more than your car, no offense Jisoo-" Chungha started, using her hand to narrate the idea as she looked at Jisoo's side profile.

"None taken."

The sophomore finished, "So it should be good."

"Sounds alright to me." Lisa agreed, doodling tiny bundles of hearts in the condensation of Jisoo's car window, her breath destroying them only for Lisa to doodle them once more. A vicious cycle, As Jisoo's father would call it (although using it for the current situation would be a massive exaggeration).

"And away we go."


	3. TROUBLE IS BREWING

"Are you sure your dad won't catch us?"

The trio were currently sat in Chugha's living room (although it was large enough to be a bungalow), each of their bodies placed in different positions. Chungha, being the most comfortable with her surroundings, was sprawled out on the lavish sofa, her body sinking into the cloud-like fabric, whereas Lisa was sat fidgeting on one of the other chairs, clearly eager to drink but anxious about getting caught.

Jisoo, being the oldest and most mature out of the three of them, was stood apprehensively by the large fireplace, examining Chungha's living room in all its glory. She'd seen glimpses of it on the girl's instagram, and Jisoo knew it was a bit over the top, but it was alot more than what she had been expecting. The wooden floor was covered by a soft white rug, that was probably made out of polar bear fur by the heavenly feel, and the walls were painted a soft white, thin lines of gold lining the edges of each one. 

Shaking her head nonchalantly, Chungha rose to her feet and walked over to a heavy-set wooden cupboard that seemed to loom over the trio with an animosity that had both Jisoo and Lisa feeling unsettled, "Nah. He's out on some business trip for the next few weeks; my mum is probably out with her friends so she won't be back till tomorrow evening, I guess." She unlocked the cupboard with a key that Jisoo hadn't even noticed her picking up, and Chungha grabbed the bottle of unopened vermouth.

Part of the junior's heart ached to hear how regular Chungha's tone had been when she was speaking, realising that it was an everyday experience for the girl to be home alone for days at a time. Jisoo couldn't imagine living without her dad, but it was a sad reality that one day she would have to leave him and live independently, just like Seok-Jin had done (but Jisoo wasn't going to abandon her father like her brother did).

"I'm gonna go get some glasses and the rest of the stuff we need. I'll be back." Chungha turned and swiftly left, easily navigating round the maze of the house, meaning that Lisa and Jisoo were sat together in a comfortable silence that neither seemed to mind.

Jisoo continued to look around the living room, spotting a luxurious dog bed placed by the fireplace. Chungha never mentioned she had pets. The eldest girl couldn't help but wonder where the dogs were right now, or if the supposed dog bed was actually something else that all rich people had. Probably the former, but you never really know when it comes to the wealthy.

"Hey, Lis." The junior broke the silence, directing her gaze to Lisa's now perked up head, "Did you see any dogs around here?" She nudged the dog bed with her foot, watching as Lisa's eyes followed her movements. 

The Thai girl leaned back into the sofa, stewing the words in her mind for a moment, before replying, "Actually, no. But I did see a few food bowls by the front door. Atleast I think that's what they were."

Nodding, Jisoo continued her examination as she waited for Chungha to return. She spotted a grand piano through the see-through glass windows of the conservatory. The instrument was bathed in sunlight through the clear, glass roof, the beams reflecting off the well-polished top of the piano and cracking into the living room. She remained unfazed, knowing that Chungha had a talent for music and that it shouldn't be surprising to see atleast a few instruments lying around the house.

"Sorry it took so long. Apparently mother moved the glasses from the cupboard to the freezer, which is probably a good thing." Jisoo's head turned to where Chungha stood in the doorway, holding three martini glasses, a lemon and a bottle of gin that (like she had said earlier) probably cost more than Jisoo's shitty old car; a sharp knife was tucked between Chungha's pearly whites, "Can you pass the vermouth?" She asked as she placed the items on the glass coffee table, shaking the hand that she'd been holding the frozen gin glasses in as an attempt to regain feeling in her fingers.

Lisa jumped up, "Oh, sure." She rushed to Chungha's side with the vermouth in her hand, twisting the lid open and passing it to her friend as she watched the sophomore's movements with hawk-like eyes, "What are you doing?" 

She watched curiously as Chungha dumped the vermouth that she had just swirled in the glass into a bowl placed upon the coffee table, wondering why she would waste it. The sophomore ignored the question and poured gin in the glass until it was about two-thirds full, then cutting a twist of lemon, folding the peel (with the skin facing out) and squeezing it onto the martini's surface before proceeding to dab around the rim. Finally, she answered, "Making a real martini. First one for the new cheer captain."

"Are you sure? SKI has a policy against under twenties drinking, even if it is legal." Lisa dubiously took the martini glass, sniffing lightly as her nose twisted up at the incredibly strong aroma. She gave Chungha an anxious look, wondering if it was safe to drink it.

The sophomore just nodded, "Just drink up, Lisa. We won't snitch."

Lisa raised the glass to her lips, hesitantly taking a sip. She gulped the alcohol down nervously, her face contorting between shock and then to disgust before she started coughing as if she hadn't drank anything in days, "Jesus, Chungha." She wretched out and practically threw the glass at her friend, "What the hell is that?"

"It can't be that bad." Chungha grabbed the glass and took a sip for herself, her face mimicking Lisa's almost exactly as she grimaced at the overpowering taste, "Oh shit you're right- it tastes like ass. Here, Jisoo, have a try."

Jisoo leaned over and took the glass, taking a small sip before her mouth twisted into a snarl of displeasure, "Are you trying to kill us? Where the Hell did you get that recipe?" She placed the drink down on the coffee table, not wanting to so much as look at the martini.

"In my defense, it looked good in the movie."

Scoffing, Jisoo turned back to Chungha with a raised eyebrow as she ran a hand through her raven hair, "Have you not got anything else we can drink? It doesn't have to be expensive. At this point I'll drink almost anything."

"There's a shop nearby."

\-----

Jisoo's car slowly pulled into the near-empty parking lot in front of the convenience shop, her squeaky wheels coming to a halt with a loud creek as she humming motor slowly died down as soon as she removed her keys. Chungha passed the girl her purse and watched as Jisoo climbed out the car, the eldest girl giving her a confused look when she remained seated, "Aren't you guys coming?"

"Can't. Lisa's refusing to go in because of that stupid SKI rule and I'm staying her to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Chungha gave a shrug from the back seat, flashing Jisoo a wry smirk that let the older girl know that with Chungha in the car there'd be more trouble than without.

Giving the girl one last anxious glance, Jisoo grumbled something under her breath before heading inside the store, the sun already setting and casting an orange glow upon the Earth. She looked around for a second before spotting the dimly-lit fridges that buzzed obnoxiously loud, obviously on their last legs. 

Jisoo had never really bought alcohol before. Once, last new years, she'd bought a bottle of cheap champagne for her father- as per their tradition to share a bottle and forget the last year, looking forward to making memories in the next one. She didn't know where to begin when it came to purchasing for a casual night in.

Eventually, she settled on buying a couple six-packs of moderately(?)- she didn't really know what was considered fair or not when it came to alcohol prices- priced beer cans. She rushed to the checkout, glancing outside to see if Lisa and Chungha were still in the car. It was too dark and too far away to tell.

The cashier scanned the packs annoyingly slow, taking his time to find each and every barcode before sluggishly raising his arm and scanning, repeating the process three more times. Jisoo drummed her foot against the floor impatiently, completely having been thrown off by Chungha's earlier actions.

"ID?" Jisoo rolled her eyes at the question but grabbed her wallet anyway, flashing her driver's license as the elderly cashier squinted his eyes before nodding in confirmation, "Do you want a bag?"

"No. Thanks." She replied curtly, handing a small stack of notes to the cashier before picking up the six-packs and walking away, not bothering to get the change. All she wanted to do was return to the car and make sure Chungha and Lisa hadn't done anything dumb: she was sure they had.

Jisoo speed-walked out of the shop and into the car park that was somehow more deserted than before, spotting her own car in the middle of nothing at all. She noticed Lisa and Chungha sat exactly where she had left them, Chungha scrolling through her phone and Lisa fidgeting with the flannel shirt she had slung over her white strappy-top. Letting out a sigh of relief, Jisoo plastered a smile on her face and climbed in the driver's seat, passing Chungha the beer, "That's alot of beer, Jisoo." The sophomore commented, her eyes wide as the six-packs were stacked higher than her torso.

"That's why you should've gone with me; I know nothing about alcohol." The junior retorted as she pulled out the parking lot and into the road dimly litten by street-lights. It was a ghost town out there.

"Well now you know that we're gonna be wasted by the end of tonight." Chungha shrugged and grabbed a can from the holder, cracking it open, "Anyone else want one?" She asked, taking a sip and wincing at the cheap, bitter taste but continuing to drink it anyway.

Jisoo shook her head, declining due to the fact she was driving at the moment, whereas Lisa just reassured that she wanted to wait till they were back at the house. Chungha scoffed and waved a hand, mumbling something along the lines of the Thai girl being a 'pussy' before continuing to drink her troubles away.

Chuckling, Jisoo eyed Chungha through the rear-view mirror and continued the short drive, shaking her head before focussing back on the road, "Why do I put up with you two?" She mumbled quietly, more so directing the question at the sophomore than Lisa.

Eventually, the girls arrived back at the gates leading to the house. Chungha got them buzzed in after a few words to the intercom, rolling her eyes at how much of a hassle it was just to get in and out of her home, "How is my dad so overprotective when he's not even in the country?" She huffed, crossing her arms like a scolded child.

"What does your dad do again?" Lisa chided from the frontseat, craning her neck so she could see Chungha sprawled out in the back, her legs placed one on the other passenger seat and the other on the behind of Lisa's chair.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

They left the conversation at that.

Climbing out the car, Jisoo rapped at the back windows and gave Chungha's dirty shoes a harsh glare (the other girl replied by sticking her middle finger up and getting out reluctantly), whilst Lisa carefully shut the front door behind her, "Make sure to lock the doors." She commented, gesturing back to the car.

The eldest girl mumbled a small thank you before joining the other two girls that had already entered the house, the surroundings feeling incredibly unfamiliar despite the fact Jisoo had been there just an hour before, "Do you have dogs?" She asked, remembering the beds.

"One. Wanna see her?" Chungha didn't even wait for a reply before placing two fingers in her mouth and whistling sharply, calling out a name, "Bambi! Come here!" She dropped to her knees, placing the beer cans next to her on the floor, and opened her arms as a small dog skidded out into the wooden-floored hallway, almost falling over as their nails scratched against the wood.

Chungha's dog, Bambi, was a cute puppy. She had short, curly hair with fuzzy ears that flopped up and down as she trotted to her owner, her tongue peeling out her mouth in pants. Yipping at the sight of Chungha, Bambi perked up and leaped into her open arms, unaware of the two other girls in the hallway, "You can stroke her, if you want." The sophomore commented, seeing that Jisoo and Lisa were still stood awkwardly in the same place.

Obviously, Lisa was the first to cave and drop to the floor. Despite being a cat person, Lisa also loved dogs of all shapes and sizes: Bambi was no exception, "You're so cute!" She spoke in a baby voice, ruffling the dog's hair as a smile spread on her face.

Jisoo slowly squatted in front of the dog, eyeing her curiously. The girl had always wanted a dog (she'd even decided upon the type and name when she finally did), but she'd never actually gotten to stroke one before now. She hesitantly placed a hand on Bambi's back and gently caressed the dog, careful not to be too forceful and to be mindful of the dog's size, "Good girl." She spoke when Bambi didn't shy away.

"Are we gonna stay here all day and stroke Bambi or are we gonna get this party started?" Chungha placed Bambi on the floor and picked up the beer, climbing to her feet out of excitement and eagerness.

Part of Jisoo wanted to be honest (the latter, duh), but instead she nodded dumbly and rose from the floor, ignoring the cracking of her knees as she did so, "You really are old, huh." Lisa snarked, ignoring the sharp glare the junior tossed at her when she had spoke.

The three quickly went into the living room and took their seats, Chungha handing the two their first cans of beer for the night whilst she polished off her own first, "No one's gonna know." She reassured Lisa when she noticed the unsure look on her face, sitting back in the spinning chair she'd claimed as her own.

Jisoo and Lisa, being sat on the same sofa, shared an uneasy look before cracking the beers open and taking a sip.

They already knew that this night would bring trouble.

The first couple hours passed easily, seemingly flying by, and the two girls loosened up after their third beer, actually starting to have fun and laughing at Chungha's dumbest, dirties jokes, "Did you know the first French fries weren't cooked in France?" She asked, gazing up at the ceiling from the floor with her sixth (maybe it was seventh- she couldn't be sure) beer in hand.

"Where were they cooked, then?" Lisa responded dumbly, not knowing any better.

"In Greece."

Surprisingly, it was Jisoo that cracked up first, her mouth falling open into a silent laugh at what was probably the stupidest joke that both drunk her and sober her had ever heard. Whatever, anything is funny when you're off your ass.

Lisa, however, looked at the two like they had grown another head, "I don't get it." She stated, utterly oblivious to why Jisoo was creasing and clutching her stomach from the horrendous joke.

"Because French fries are cooked in grease, y'know?" Jisoo explained simply, staring at Lisa from the corner of her eye.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind."

Jisoo waved a hand and continued drinking her beer, leaving a frothy mustache above her top lip when she pulled away, "This tastes so bad." She grimaced, "Almost as bad as Chungha's martinis."

"Don't blame me! Blame Emily!" She cried, the memory of watching 'A Simple Favor' whilst home alone slipping through her mind. Chungha remembered watching the scene where Emily had taught Stephanie to make a real martini and grabbing a notepad, promising to herself that she'd try it one day with her friends. She also remembered... other scenes amongst the memories.

"Who's Emily?" 

"Hey, guys, I have an idea for what we should do!" Lisa waved a hand in the air, slamming her beer can on the glass table dramatically, "We should totally go swimming." She jumped up from the sofa, "Rich person like you? There's got to be a pool or something round here."

Chungha shook her head, "Actually, no. Although there is a lake nearby, and it has an awesome view of the forest. Problem is I don't have any swimming costumes, so unless you wanna go skinny dipping-"

"No thanks." Jisoo interjected, "None of you guys have ever seen me completely naked, and I'm not plan on changing that right now."

With a wiggle of her eyebrows, one half of Dumb and Dumber spoke, "So there's a chance it'll change later?"

"Shut up, Chungha!" 

"Woah guys. Can't we just do it in our underwear?"

So that's what the three did.

Chungha led the girls out the house and into the depths of the forest, using her phone as a flashlight and bringing a small knife from the kitchen just incase (not like anyone would notice it missing). They stumbled between trees, careful not to trip, until they finally found themselves stood infront of the eerily still water.

The lake was clearer than anything Jisoo had ever seen, the junior able to see all the rocks at the bottom, and she found herself looking at her own reflection. Infront of Jisoo was a girl she'd never seen: one with messed up hair, puckered lips and heavy eyes. Jisoo wasn't used to being anything less than perfect, that was the one lesson from her mother that she actually remembered.

A newfound dubiousness settled upon her heart, dragging down the amusement that was once in the air, "I don't know about this." She commented, although it definitely wasn't for anything as Chungha was already removing her top and Lisa was unbuckling her belt. Jisoo sighed and went against her own words, tugging of her combat boots and socks.

"Your feet smell." Chungha laughed, to which Jisoo responded by giving her a snarky smile and sticking her middle finger up, mimicking what the sophomore had done earlier in Jisoo's passenger seat.

Jisoo stepped out of her jeans and slowly lifted her top off, leaving herself shivering in the cold winds of the forest. She gave her friends the once over, raising an eye at something she spotted on Lisa's shoulder, "Another tattoo?" She asked curiously, squinting her eyes to see better in the dark.

"Yep. Says 18032013: for the day I met Chungha. Figured I might aswell seeing as I have one on the other should for the day I met you." Lisa cast the sophomore a smile, a faint glow visible on her cheeks even in the darkness of the night, "Whatever. We going in or not?"She asked, answering her own question by stalking over to the edge of the rocky hill and looking down into the water, gazing intently at it as if it held all the answers in the world.

Chungha joined her by the edge, knocking shoulders with the Thai girl as a clear way to show she was happy with Lisa's choice of tattoo. She threaded their fingers together, beckoning Jisoo to join them, "On three?" She asked, looking to the junior for confirmation.

Nodding, Jisoo bent her knees slightly to prepare for the jump.

"One." Lisa began, giving Chungha a sly smirk like the two knew something that Jisoo couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Two!" Chungha pushed Jisoo into the water from the side, although it was for nothing as the sophomore fell in with her. The two tumbled into it with a crash, neither landing the way they were supposed to.

"Three!" Lisa called, jumping in and following her friends with a high pitched scream as she hit the water. She bobbed to the surface, spotting Chungha and Jisoo gasping for breath after just emerging from beneath the water.

Jisoo stared at Chungha appalled, but she was too drunk to care. Instead, she started splashing the girl with water, Chungha letting out a shriek at her friend's revenge. The sophomore glared a her friend, splashing her back with a larger wave of water.

The two continued the fight, oblivious to the fact Lisa was floating right next to them. 

That's how Jisoo had always been.


	4. OBSCURITY

The sun was creeping above the horizon, slowly shedding light into the once gloomy streets of Busan and igniting the roads with beams the colour of fire. Kim Jisoo yawned sleepily as her alarm clock blared the tune of Clarity, signalling that it was time for another hellish day at college.

Moments like these made her want to call in sick, but she had to pick up Chungha and Lisa so she could take them back to her place to get ready for Chaeyoung's party: Friday had rollen round sooner than she'd expected, sooner than she wanted, but Jisoo had promised the two girls.

Dazed, the junior wiped the small amount of dribble around the corner of her mouth before grunting and rolling out of bed. Jisoo turned off her alarm, tired of hearing the same song nearly every morning she had school, as she slipped into the small bathroom at the end of the hallway, "Great." She mumbled, seeing that there was only a tiny amount of toothpaste left.

She rolled the tube up and forced the remaining paste onto her toothbrush, hastily cleaning her teeth and making sure that she wasn't going to be late. Jisoo spat it out and rushed back into her room, undressing quickly as she eyed the clock. The girl pulled a baggy white shirt over her head and tucked it into some loose, black trousers. 

"Dad!" Jisoo yelled as she slipped her dark vans on, stumbling out her room and down the stairs to where her father, Taehun, was stood in the kitchen, "I gotta go and pick up Lisa and Chungha. Remember I'm out tonight." She leaned into him and planted a kiss on Taehun's cheek, grabbing her bag from beside the countertop and slinging it over her shoulder, making sure to put on her bucket hat as she did.

"Just make sure you come back."

Jisoo nodded before saying goodbye once again and leaving the house, being certain to lock the door behind her. She jogged to the car, throwing her bag into the passenger seat (although it was likely Lisa was just gonna put it on the floor and sit there) before driving off to her youngest friend's house.

The world seemed to be on her side as almost all the lights were green, allowing Jisoo to reach the small apartment Lisa lived in in record time. She parked on the sidewalk, leaving her engine running, and honked thrice for the girl.

Not long after and Lisa emerged from the house, her mother stood in the doorway and waving to Jisoo- a gesture which the junior gladly returned. Lisa opened the front door of Jisoo car and gently placed the elder girl's bag on the floor before taking her seat, folding her arms and whining, "She's so embarrassing." 

Jisoo chuckled and drove off, giving Lisa's mother one last wave, to Chungha's house. Luckily, the two girls lived close to eachother- but it was quite strange considering one lived in what seemed to be a mansion and the other lived in... not a mansion- so the journey didn't take long at all.

Before she knew it Jisoo was driving up to Chungha's house and climbing out her car to ring the doorbell, hearing Bambi yipping lightly from inside the house. The dog's owner threw the door open and gave the dog a goodbye before getting into the car, barely acknowledging Jisoo other than a low grunt.

The junior rolled her eyes, accustomed to Chungha's grumpy morning attitude, and climbed into the front seat, "Something the matter?" She asked, eyeing the sophomore through the rearview mirror as she drove past the gates of Chungha's house and onto the road that would lead them to SKI.

"I just want to know why my dad won't give me my car back. He took it nearly a year ago and everytime I bring it up he shuts down and walks out." Chungha huffed and stared out the window, watching as car blurred by.

"You did get a DUI." Jisoo pointed out, indicating as she switched lanes. 

She remembered the night like it was yesterday. Jisoo had woken up at one in the morning to her phone ringing, and when she picked it up all she had heard was Chungha sobbing from the other line and crying about how her dad was going to kill her. The junior had quickly driven over to the police station and picked Chungha up, telling her that it was alright if she needed to stay over and that Jisoo would explain it to her father.

Chungha knocked her head against the window lightly, "Yeah but I used my own money that I'd been saving up to pay it off. I learned my lesson after taking driving class again; I don't know why he's still punishing me." She groaned as they pulled into the campus parking lot, unbuckling her belt and dragging herself out the car.

"Atleast you had a car. I can't even get my license, and even if I did there's no way my family would be able to afford anything for me; they've been using all our money for college." Lisa passed Jisoo her bag and shut the car door shut, following Chungha as the three walked through the college gates.

The sophomore nodded fairly and pulled her phone out, dialling someone quickly, "Yeah, hi mum. I'm going to a party tonight, don't wait up." Chungha hung up quickly after, leaving no room for her father to argue. Neither Lisa nor Jisoo said anything about the brief conversation, knowing their place when it came to Chungha and her touchy family issues.

"So what time are we heading out for the party?" Lisa asked as the three reached the core subjects block, slipping up into the stairwell and blending into the small crowd of students bustling to get to their lessons, "I've got my clothes in my bag."

"Mine are in my locker." Chungha commented.

The girls walked down the maths corridor, Lisa asking Jisoo to hurry up and reply seeing as she was in a different class to the two. Jisoo's eyes widened as she was taken back by the Thai's unusually short fuse, but nevertheless she responded, "It starts at six, I think. So if we head out by quarter-to we should be on time."

"Make that quarter-past: it's good to be fashionably late." Chungha chimed and Jisoo scoffed, waving Lisa goodbye as she walked into her own maths class. The thing about SKI was that most classes were grouped into ability, not year, and because the two elder girls weren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed they were in a different class to Lisa- who was incredibly smart. Don't get me wrong, they were all incredibly smart, but Lisa was basically a genius and so were the people she was grouped with (apparently one boy has a 148 IQ).

The two other girls trickled into their own maths class, greeting the teacher with a small hello before taking their assigned seats. Chungha, unfortunately, was sat in the back of the class with a troublesome student- that she somehow got along well with- named Kim Hyuna. The girl had more rumours around her than flies around rotten food, some bad and even more worse. Jisoo, however, had really lucked out when it came to tablemates. She was sat next to Hye-Jin, also known as Hwasa by her friends, and the two got along well.

Sadly it didn't seem like her tablemate was coming today, as by the time Mr Jung shut the door she still wasn't there. The lesson dragged on without Hwasa there, and Jisoo was almost asleep by the time he dismissed the class. If it weren't for Chungha, she wouldn't have even noticed it was over, "His lessons always drag on so long." Jisoo groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance as the two waited outside Lisa's own maths classroom.

"I know. If it weren't for Hyuna I probably would've killed myself out of boredom." She snorted, leaning against the white-painted walls, "You sure about coming to this party? Doesn't really seem like your thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just, you've never really seemed like one for the party scene in the time I've known you." Chungha's eyes were dragged to the door of Lisa's classroom as it was flung open by an angry-looking freshman that towered over the rest of his classmates, barely making the Thai girl noticeable when she trailed out behind him, "Who the hell was that?"

"Jung Woo-Seok. He's a new student that came last Friday." Lisa rolled her eyes at the mention of the tall boy, already seeming like he irritated her to no end, "Had the balls to ask me for my number on his first day- as if."

Jisoo nodded sceptically, eyeing Lisa from the corner of her eye. Chungha, on the other hand, didn't seem to care as she checked her timetable again, rolling her eyes when she remembered they had a scheduled assembly today for announcements, "Ugh. This assembly is going to drag." 

Lisa's eyes lit up, remembering that today was the day of the assembly where the new cheer team would be announced. She already knew she was going to make it, but there was just something about the official confirmation that was going to make her heart soar, "Let's go now so we won't be late."

Reluctantly, Chungha followed the girls out the block and into the gymnasium where students were already sitting along the bleachers. In the middle of the hall was a large stage that had been set up earlier in the morning, and atop of it was the headmaster: Mr Yang. Alongside Seungri, Yang Hyun-Suk was the teacher with the most rumours flying around him. From illegal gambling to hiring prostitutes and hiding evidence against Seungri, students said everything about him

Jisoo doubted most, if not all, of it: but there definitely was something sketchy about the headmaster. She shook her head and ridden her mind of the thoughts as the three took their seats high up in the bleachers, looking bored as the rest of the students followed, "Can they hurry up and get this over and done with. I wanna go to dance." Chungha groaned and leaned back annoyed.

When everyone was in and seated the doors were locked, trapping the students inside till whenever Yang Hyun-Suk decided to free them from the prison, "Goodmorning, everyone. Thank you for coming." He spoke into a microphone, his stern voice bouncing from walls to walls, "I've gathered you all here for a few announcements regarding highly anticipated clubs such as the cheerleading team and the student council. Here is Mr Lee, the cheer squad coach, to give the announcements." 

He clapped as the other man walked onto the stage, thanking the headmaster with a slight bow of his head, "Thank you, Mr Yang." Seungri cleared his throat as the other man walked off stage, his eyes following, "The other day, I hosted auditions for the new cheerleading team. After much deliberation, I have selected twelve students to join. Our first member is Park Jihyo- everyone please give her a big round of applause. If you could come onto the stage as I read your names-"

Seungri continued reading names from the likes of those expected (Kang Seulgi and Seo Soojin) to those Jisoo had no clue had a dancing talent (Sana Minatozaki and Kim Hyuna). Until finally he had one more name to go, and Lisa had her fingers crossed tightly, "And lastly, South Korea International's new cheer team captain... Lalisa Manoban!"

The gymnasium erupted into loud applause as Lisa beamed and climbed to her feet, stepping over those on the bleachers until she was safely on the floor and walking onto the stage. She reached Seungri and her new teammates and shook all of their hands, standing proudly next to them all, "Please do us proud this sporting year." Seungri asked before dismissing the students off the stage, telling each of them to meet him on Monday for more information about the squad.

"I also have the pleasure of playing a hand in announcing the new boys American football team for this year." A few boys in the bleachers whooped at Seungri's words, and the man only smirked and raised his hand for them to quieten down, "First of all, please give Kim Hyojong a round of applause! Also on this year's team: Kang Daniel, Kim Jongin, Kim Namjoon, Jung Woo-Seok..."

The man continued naming boys, but Jisoo had blocked it all out ever since Lisa's name had been announced. That was the only thing she had really cared about. When the American football team was over, more teachers came up to announce other things like the mathletes and swimming team (Jisoo didn't care about either).

When Mr Yang came back up on stage, she finally thought she was gonna be able to go back to class (first time she'd wanted to do that), but he spoke, "I have one more thing to announce before you all resume lessons. This assembly took a lot to organise, which is why I'd like to thank the new student council for giving us a hand. These new members are: Kim Yerim, Jung Whee-In, Jung Hoseok, the new vice president- Park Sooyoung- and your new student council president: Park Chaeyoung! Give it up for them!" 

Chungha scoffed and gave a slow clap, purely out of not wanting the teachers to be on her ass, "How much more perfect can Park Chaeyoung get? She's a freshman and the new president- the fuck."

Jisoo hummed and tensed up, expecting alot more teasing from the girls (especially Chungha) now that Chaeyoung was to be much more important at the school. Surprisingly, none came, "Atleast now we can finally go back to lessons." The three stood up on the bleachers, stepping around other students desperate to escape the gymnasium, "Nice one, Lisa."

"Thanks."

\-----

"Get in, loser."

Jisoo's car pulled up to the curb, Chungha sat in the front passenger seat with a lollipop in her mouth, where Lisa was stood waiting for them. The Thai rolled her eyes and climbed into the backseat, "Why are you in my seat?" She asked, kicking the back of Chungha's seat lightly.

The sophomore's head snapped back and she glared at Lisa, her cat-eye balenciaga sunglasses slipping down her nose, "Your seat? Last time I checked this is Jisoo's car- not yours." She snorted and turned back to face the front, grunting when she felt Lisa kick her seat slightly harder again.

"You know what I mean."

Jisoo ignored the two as they continued to bicker, instead focussing on making sure they got home safely. The traffic was worse than when they had travelled to school, the road ahead full of red lights and other cars that were eager to be home.

After what seemed like an hour, Jisoo finally pulled into the small driveway infront of her house, "You guys have your clothes, right?" The two nodded in response, too busy with a conversation to answer. Jisoo sighed and unlocked the front door, calling for Chungha and Lisa to follow.

She found a note from her father telling Jisoo to have fun and to be safe, and that he wanted her home no later than one. Jisoo shook her head and scrunched the note up, knowing that it was only a formality that her father set a time and that all he actually meant was for her to let him know where she was by then.

"You guys gonna stand in the doorway or come up to my room?" Jisoo turned back, seeing Chungha and Lisa shuffling by the front door. The two looked bashful but followed the junior up the stairs and into her room, nonetheless, "You can start getting changed, if you want."

Chungha grabbed her backpack and unzipped it, pulling out a velvet red crop top and a black skirt lined with small diamonds, "What?" She asked, feeling Jisoo's eyes give her a dubious glance.

"This is a college party, Chungha, not the MMA's."

"You can try it- if you want." Chungha held the croptop up to Jisoo's chest, leaning back to examine the look, "Actually, I think it would look great on you. The red would totally go with your black hair and features. And the skirt would make your thighs look even hotter."

Jisoo took the outfit uneasily, feeling the top and sighing at the heavenly feeling of the expensive material, "I don't know... what will you wear?" She held it up to her chest and looked at her reflection in the mirror, mentally agreeing that it looked amazing on her.

"Who do you take me for? I always bring two pairs of clothes, Jisoo." Chungha reached into her bag and grabbed a short-sleeved white shirt and a pair of plain shorts transformed into a skirt round the back, "We're gonna look so hot. What are you wearing, Lisa?"

She turned around, finding Lisa already changed into a simple black dress decorated with gold polka dots and translucent sleeves, "This." Lisa stated simply, the bottom of the dress flairing slightly as she did a quick twirl in it.

"Wow." Jisoo's mouth fell open, not even having noticed that the girl had removed her clothes- nevermind that she was already dressed, "You look amazing." She pulled her own shirt off and slipped the redvelvet croptop over her head, a blush rising when she noticed Lisa was still looking at her.

"You too."

The two kept a gentle eye contact, Jisoo continuing to get changed as Lisa's soft eyes never left hers. The gaze was intense but not fiery, reminding Lisa of the way her mother looked so fondly into her eyes whenever she said goodnight to her. It wasn't what she wanted, but Lisa figured it was the best she'd get.

Chungha cleared her throat and pointed to Jisoo's alarm clock, "Sorry to interrupt whatever that was, but we have to go in an hour and we still haven't done makeup or anything. Also, these were meant to go with my outfit- but now you're wearing it so I guess you need them." She handed the junior a glittery silver belt and a diamond necklace with simple silver earrings.

Jisoo thanked her and put the accessories on, keeping her gaze to the floor as she was too embarrassed by Chungha catching whatever that thing between her and Lisa was. Lisa, however, didn't seem embarrassed at all as she just agreed with Chungha and asked the girl to help her with makeup, "You can use my dressing table. " Jisoo added.

The three quickly did their makeup, Lisa going for a simple red lipstick and winged eyeliner. Chungha did practically the same except with bolder eyes and lighter shade of lipstick, matching Jisoo, "Should we go?" She asked, noticing the time was ten past.

"Yeah. But would you mind picking up a couple of my friends?" Chungha adjusted the chains hanging loosely around her neck, quickly putting her hair in a half ponytail.

Jisoo gave a curious glance as the three walked out of her house and hopped into her car. She got in the driver's seat and slammed the door shut, Chungha and Lisa following suit, "Just Huihyeon and Haeyoon... and Hyuna."

Before the night had even started, Jisoo knew everything was going to blow up in her face.


	5. ONLY JUST BEGUN

Jisoo's heart was rattling faster than usual.

Maybe it was because she was squeezed into her cramped car with her two best friends and three of the most infamous students in all of SKI (how they hadn't been kicked out was beyond her), or maybe it was because she was currently driving to none other than Park Chaeyoung's house: the girl her friends relentlessly teased her about for a drunken slip of the tongue. Or perhaps it was both- she honestly didn't know.

Jisoo's car lights shone a lighter path onto the darkening roads leading up to Chaeyoung's house, the sun already settling upon the Earth's horizon. The girls were going to be arriving later than expected, almost an hour later, actually, because for some reason Chungha's friends seemed to live miles away from one another.

As the girl pulled up to the curb, she parked on the sidewalk, noticing dozens of cars lining the streets surrounding Chaeyoung's home- granted, most of them were worth at least twice of what Jisoo's was. She parked anxiously, the thumping inside her chest only seeming to grow even as the car engine slowed to a complete stop.

Knocking on the window, Jisoo signalled for everyone to get out. Hyuna gave an eyeroll and pointed at Jisoo, cracking a joke that the girl herself couldn't quite hear but it was obviously funny (considering even Lisa laughed at it), but nevertheless everyone climbed out the car.

As Hyuna, Huihyeon and Haeyoon walked ahead, Jisoo and Lisa trailed just behind Chungha, both extremely out of their comfort zone, "What did Hyuna say- back there in the car?" Jisoo asked awkwardly, suddenly feeling self conscious of both her outfit and her personality. She'd always been a bit shy infront on strangers, not so much infront of her friends, so when Hyuna had cracked a joke that was obviously about her she had turned the shade of her velvet crop top.

Lisa seemed to catch onto this as she gave an awkward cough, "Oh- she just said something about how you were probably acting snappy because you were nervous to see your crush." She bit her lip and cast Chungha a slight side glance.

Jisoo didn't ask how they knew about the entire Chaeyoung situation; she already knew there was only one way. Sometimes she wished Chungha could just keep her mouth shut. The Korean shook her head and continued the walk up the steps of Chaeyoung's house, finding herself stood in the pathway of a beautiful garden.

She looked around in wonder, not used to seeing such an expensive house: Chaeyoung had to be rich. There was a stark contrast of the ages between Chungha and Chaeyoung's houses, one being more vintage and classical and the other being modern and sleek.

Jisoo knew which one she preferred.

Chungha too seemed amazed by the sheer beauty of the area, her eyes darting round the garden to the large koi pond. No words were spoken as the three walked into the house, the party already in full swing. It seemed like they had missed alot, judging from the small puddle of blood in the middle of the crowd and a kicked over keg... perhaps it was for the best.

"I'm getting a drink!" Chungha shouted over the noise, pointed exaggeratedly to the kitchen where dozens of solo cups were stacked up and several bottles of alcohol were laid out on the countertop, "Wanna come?"

Lisa nodded, but Jisoo simply shook her head. She knew the second she was offered a drink that she would take it- and she couldn't this time: she was the designated driver. Chungha grabbed Lisa's hand and dragged her to the kitchen, but Jisoo didn't miss the way she seemed more than hesitant to leave her.

She chalked it down to being a good friend.

Jisoo sighed and looked around, already knowing she was going to be waking up tomorrow with a non-alcoholic hangover. The music blared, blasting some song that Jisoo didn't quite know, and the lights flashed, whizzing round the room. She looked for any sight of her other friends- a foolish action.

Obviously Joohyun wasn't going to come, she was too mature for the college party scene, and Hwasa hadn't been at school for a while now, so that left only one person: Kim Taehyung. He wasn't hard to spot, standing out like a flashlight in the darkest of nights with his blue hair and crimson shirt that was unbuttoned slightly. Unfortunately, he was with his other friends, and Jisoo knew not to talk to him at that point.

Who was she, the third year that no one seemed to know other than when talking behind her back, to be hanging out with him, the most popular guy in school? Instead, Jisoo just slunk down to the ground, throwing her head back against the wall.

She regretted coming already; if it wasn't for Chungha and Lisa, she never would've agreed. Why did she let them rope her into this? Jisoo ran a hand through her hair and looked at her watch, seeing that her friends had been gone for five minutes. Surely it didn't take that long to get a couple drinks.

Soon enough, Jisoo spotted Chungha dancing with Lisa, the Thai looking slightly reluctant as her eyes scanned the crowd for someone, for something. Jisoo decided not to go up to them, wanting to let Lisa have the fun she deserved instead of slowing her down. Chungha seemed to notice her sat by the wall and gave her a wink and a tilt of the head.

Jisoo furrowed her brows in confusion, mouthing a 'What?'. Chungha repeated the action again, this time more exaggerated, and Jisoo turned to where the tilt had been aimed. There, sat against the wall, was none other than Park Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung laughed at Jisoo's wide eyes and parted mouth, her eyes wrinkling at the corners out of amusement, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice me." She said simply, bending her knees to sit more comfortably.

"What?" Jisoo shouted, the music clouding her ability to hear the freshman.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice me!" Chaeyoung shouted this time, slightly raising the solo cup in her hand. Jisoo's eyes trailed down to the cup but her focus ended up on Chaeyoung's simple silver ring. 

She shook her head and snapped out of it, still not hearing what Chaeyoung had said, "What?" Jisoo yelled again, leaning her head a bit more forward so that she would be able to understand better.

Jisoo certainly didn't expect Chaeyoung to scoot forward and crane her neck in, especially not to the point where she could feel the freshman's breath against her ear, "I said," The words came out huskily, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice me."

Shuddering, Jisoo pulled away and nodden stiffly, uncomfortable with how casual the intimate closeness between the two had seemed. She looked anywhere but Chaeyoung, choosing instead to focus on how Lisa had grown more continent on the dance floor and had begun grinding on Chungha. 

Chaeyoung followed Jisoo's line of sight, spotting the two girls dancing together. She crossed her legs before looking back to Jisoo and clicking her tongue, "Your friends look like they're having fun."

"Why are you talking to me?" Jisoo didn't take her eyes away from Lisa's movements, squirming under Chaeyoung's heavy look. She didn't understand why Chaeyoung was even sat next to her, nevermind why they were having a semi-conversation. 

The two were from completely opposite friend groups: Jisoo preferring to stay with Lisa and Chungha whereas Chaeyoung fluttered from friend group to friend group, always making sure to stay with Sooyoung, however.

And then it hit Jisoo, "Sooyoung. " She groaned and shut her eyes tight, realising that Sooyoung must've spilled what she'd heard in the hallways between Chungha and Jisoo, "What did she say to you?"

"She just told me what she heard." Chaeyoung shrugged, her eyes shuffling over to where a boy looked like he was about to throw up, "Shit. Toilet's that way!" She shouted to him, earning a grateful nod as she staggered off to the bathroom, "Was it true?"

"No." Jisoo stood up, her legs feeling weak under her due to being sat down for so long, "It's just a stupid joke my friends like to say." She wiped the back of her skirt, praying that she hadn't accidentally sat on anything.

"I wouldn't mind if it was." Chaeyoung shrugged and stood up aswell, quickly walking away into the kitchen.

Jisoo watched, her mouth open in surprise at the not-so-subtle words. What the hell was Chaeyoung thinking? She looked over to where her friends were once dancing, finding Chungha and Lisa now sat down on the couch instead. She stumbled over to them, not accustomed to the large heels that she'd only ever worn once or twice (spare when she was pretending to be on the runway in her bedroom).

"Can we go yet?" Jisoo begged, closing her eyes in desperation.

"Why? The party's only just begun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof this is the last chapter i have ready


	6. WHO'S JOE?

Jisoo had broken her father's one rule.

The morning after the party, she had woken up in a bed that definitely wasn't her own. At first, Jisoo had wanted to never leave the bed, too enthralled with the silk baby-pink sheets and the cloud-like mattress that she was laying on, but panic settled in when she remembered where she was.

Her heart jumped at the sight of Chaeyoung laying next to her, and Jisoo almost balled her eyes out then and there. Had they done anything? She couldn't be so stupid- but maybe she could. Jisoo blinked, trying to rid the tears pricking her eyes at the thought, and she hesitantly lifted the covers off her body.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw herself fully clothed, still in the velvet top (that now stunk of vodka) that Chungha had lended her. Jisoo looked to the bedside table and spotted her phone. She checked the time, her mouth drying when she saw that it was already one in the afternoon and that she had twenty three missed calls from her dad and sixty unopened messages.

She was dead when she got home.

Jisoo slung her feet over the edge of the bed, yelping when she hit something hard. She peered over the side, seeing- "Lisa?" She asked, the Thai girl grumbling as she rubbed her forehead. Jisoo shuffled to the end of the bed and stepped off, quickly tip-toeing over to her friend, trying her hardest not to wake Chaeyoung up, "What are you doing on the floor?"

"I don't know-" Lisa sat up and looked over the top of the bed, her eyes widening when she saw Chaeyoung still sound asleep, "What are you doing in a bed with _her?_" She shouted the words as she scrambled to her feet, looking both Chaeyoung and Jisoo up and down.

"I don't know." Jisoo ran a hand through her hair as her teeth tugged at her bottom lip, thousands of possibilities running through her head- not all of them child friendly, "I just need to call my dad. Like, right now."

Lisa nodded and stepped aside, allowing Jisoo to brush past her and into the hallway. Lisa checked her own phone in the meantime, seeing three unread messages from Chungha. She opened them up, not really wanting to know what they said.

**chungha 🤡🙌:**  
_bitch wya nayeon is saying_  
_she saw u and jisoo_  
_go upstairs with chaeyoung??_  
**sent 01:58**

_if it's a 3some i want in_  
_lol_  
**sent 01:58**

_wait ur not even_  
_legal yet my b_  
**sent 02:03**

_ok i understand _😴  
**sent 02:13**

_how lhng ywll gon_  
_fuck LMAO _👀🤔  
**sent 03:46**

As Lisa huffed and typed a response, Jisoo paced outside the room, waiting anxiously for her father to pick up. This was her fourth try at getting through to him, and the fact he wasn't answering was scaring her. Is this how he had felt when she didn't pick up?

When the call failed again, Jisoo decided to just shoot him a quick message saying she'd be home soon and that she was alive. Tired, she slouched as she walked into the bedroom once again, seeing Lisa scrolling through her phone.

The girl looked up as soon as her friend came in, "Everything good?" She asked, the frustrated look on Jisoo's face giving Lisa the answer that she needed. The girl responded anyway, giving a simple shake of her head as she shoved her phone in her back pocket.

"We should get out of here before she wakes up."

Lisa nodded, casting another weary glance towards Chaeyoung, before reaching her hand out for Jisoo. The elder girl looked at it before simply brushing past her, leaving Lisa feeling worse than she already did.

She looked to Chaeyoung one more time, her eyes analysing the girl's soft features: she looked even prettier without makeup. She shook her head, catching herself staring, before following in Jisoo's footsteps and tip-toeing out of the room, leaving without any memories of the night before (although she wasn't sure she wanted to know what happened).

Lisa stepped out onto the landing, seeing Jisoo tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for her, "Any idea where Chungha is?" Lisa asked, noticing the unusually annoyed look on her best friend's face.

"Don't know, don't care: let's get out of here." She reached out, grabbing Lisa's waist and dragging her across the carpeted floor, ignoring the Thai's calls of protests, "Shut up or you'll wake Chaeyoung up."

Lisa dug her heels in the ground, bringing the two girls to a halt, "What's wrong, Jisoo? It isn't like you to just _abandon _one of your best friends- nevermind abandon anyone at all."

"I-" Jisoo stammered, the weight of her actions and the decision she had almost made hitting her like a truck, "My dad. He won't pick up, and I forgot to text him where I was or anything at all. He's gonna be worried sick: ever since mum's accident-"

Lisa cut her off with a tight hug, having noticed the tear drip from Jisoo's eye before Jisoo herself had, "It's okay. I get it. You can go home: I'll find Chungha."

Nodding, Jisoo thanked Lisa before taking off down the stairs, promising to text the girl when she was safe at home. Lisa watched with a smile on her face, happy that she had made Jisoo happy. Now, time to find Chungha.

Lisa left the house, her mind still being weighed down by the need to know what had happened the other night and how Jisoo had ended up sleeping with Chaeyoung with her on the floor next to them.

Luckily, they had escaped without waking her up.

Or had they?

────

"Would you mind explaining to me how the _fuck _you woke up in the middle of a god damn forest?" Lisa clutched the steering wheel of the car that she was definitely not supposed to be driving even tighter.

Ten minutes or so after Jisoo had left to find her dad, Lisa had gotten a text from Chungha asking her to pick her up at the name of some forest _miles _away from where the party had been. In fact, it had been so far away that Lisa had gone home just to get her dad's car so she could pick the girl up.

Chungha could only shrug, groaning as the hangover bounced around the inside of her skull, "I'm pretty sure that after you went up to have a threesome-"

"I did _not _have a threesome."

Chungha scowled, "Anyway, after you went to have a threesome-" Lisa sighed, "Nayeon, me and Hyuna went for a ride in Joe's car-"

Lisa furrowed her brows, looking to Chungha in the rearview mirror, "Joe? Who's Joe?"

"Joe mama."

Lisa let out some sort of strangled noise, having no response for her friend, whilst Chungha just snickered at the girl's dazzled look.

"I can't believe you actually fell for that. Anyways, we weren't gonna go far, so I have no fucking clue how we ended up in a forest. Thanks for picking me up, though."

Lisa nodded, indicating as she turned onto a different street, "So where are Nayeon and Hyuna?"

"They left about twenty minutes before I texted you: they said they were gonna hitch-hike, but I'm not tryna get kidnapped so I stayed behind. Where's Jisoo?"

"Home. She had to make sure her dad knew she was safe."

Chungha grunted, happy to know that Jisoo was safe.

The rest of the drive passed quickly, the two enjoying the scenery despite the unfortunate situation they had been put in. Lisa was a surprisingly good driver, considering that she didn't have her license. Sure, her turns were a bit bumpy, and she wasn't the best at following speed limits, but with some more practice she'd be good to go.

Eventually, Lisa pulled onto Chungha's street. The two bid their goodbyes, Chungha still laughing about the Joe joke and Lisa still confused as to how she fell for her friend's bullshit. Jesus, is this how Jisoo felt about them both?

She pulled away, shaking her head, and begun the drive back to her own house.

────

Jisoo hesitantly stepped into her house, quietly shutting the front door behind her, and scanned the room for her father. She could hear the faint sound of a football game coming from the TV, so she knew he was home, but the question was where was he?

The sound of his voice from upstairs gave her the answer she needed, and Jisoo tip-toed up to his bedroom door. She raised her fist to knock, but her curiosity to know what he was saying temporarily halted her actions.

"I'm just so worried. If she isn't home soon, I think I'm gonna have to call the police."

Jisoo's heart melted, feeling sorrow for the amount of worry she must have caused her father. Especially considering how many times he'd called and messaged, begging her to tell him he was alright.

"I know she's an adult, Yuna, but she's still my baby: she always will be."

Yuna? Who was Yuna?

Jisoo stepped back, accidentally banging her elbow in the process. She cursed loudly, clutching her arm to her chest in pain.

"Shit. I gotta go. Love you. Bye. Bye."

The bedroom door flung open, and a furious Taehun stood towering over Jisoo. Jisoo shrunk under her father's heavy gaze, but her fear quickly diminished into confusion when she was the anger on his face dissipate as he threw his arms around her in a tight hug, "I was so worried!"

Jisoo blinked, still dazed by the sudden change, but nevertheless relished in the feeling of being home, being safe, once again. She wrapped her arms around him, although the hold was certainly not as strong as Taehun's, and smiled, "I'm so sorry, dad."

"What happened?"

The two eventually separated, the question hanging heavy in the air. Jisoo wished she could answer truthfully, but she didn't even know the truth herself, so instead she spat out some half-assed lie about how there was no signal at the house and she ran out of gas.

Her father seemed doubtful, but he ignored the lie and chose to focus on the fact his daughter, his world, was back in his arms. For a moment, Taehun had thought he'd lost her. He didn't know how he would cope if that was the reality.

First his wife, then his son, but Jisoo?

Losing Jisoo would've ruined him, and both of them knew that.

Jisoo was suddenly reminded of the conversation she'd overheard from outside the bedroom, and she looked back at her father with more serious eyes than she'd had before, "Dad, who's Yuna?"

Taehun sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned to his daughter, "You heard that, huh?"

"Don't lie to me, dad."

"Fine." Clenching his jaw, Taehun tried his hardest to meet Jisoo's gaze, "Yuna... Yuna is... I met her. In a bar."

He didn't need to say anything else for Jisoo to get the message, and her heart ached and leaped at the same time. She was conflicted between the past and the present: heartbreak and the potential for that heart to be fixed, "Are you happy?"

"Yeah. The longest I've been in a while, actually."

Jisoo nodded, "Good."

"You're not mad?"

"As long as you're happy, I could never be mad."

Taehun smiled, pulling Jisoo into another strong hug. Standing at five foot three compared to her father's six foot five, Jisoo barely reached Taehun's shoulder. Her head knocked against it, and she felt pure happiness for the first time since her mother had died.

Nothing could ruin it for her.

**Author's Note:**

> ship voting available on my wattpad (@CHAEXNNIE) and my aff (@SUBYOUNGS)


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